Spencer-East Brookfield school boss resigns, will pay back $17,000

School Superintendent Reza Namin has officially resigned from his post and will pay back, over 18 months, $17,000 that he has said was a travel reimbursement.

Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School Committee members signed a separation agreement with Mr. Namin on Feb. 21 and released the document Thursday. It was effective Monday.

The school department will deduct from the $17,000 an amount equal to what Mr. Namin would have been paid for 15.5 leave days.

Officials on Thursday declined to release a part of an audit by Scanlon & Associates that they said has been placed in Mr. Namin's personnel file. According to the separation agreement, Mr. Namin can file a response to accompany the audit and that would also become a part of the confidential file.

It was unclear whether that section of the audit will be part of an overall look at the School Department's finances, which is currently in draft form. School Department employees said the audit will be revealed at a School Committee meeting.

The agreement also includes a stipulation that Mr. Namin withdraw two complaints he filed with the state attorney general's office alleging the committee violated the Open Meeting Law. It also forbids him from talking about “his departure or about any school committee member, the acting superintendent of schools, principals, administrators,” and others working in the district, though he is allowed to say he resigned and reimbursed the disputed money.

Mr. Namin requested a personal leave during a Dec. 11 closed-door session with the school committee. About a month later the committee announced the leave would be changed to a paid administrative leave.

The committee has also been wrestling with a budget deficit that could be as much as $2 million and has asked the state for permission to borrow as much as that, though it is hoping the number will be lower.

Still, in order to deal with the shortfall, the committee agreed to eliminate 12 paraprofessional positions, a therapeutic intervention specialist, two special education teachers, half of a high school guidance counselor's post, half a psychologist's job and half a team chairman's position.

The clerks at Knox Trail and Wire Village schools in Spencer will work 20 instead of 30 hours weekly and the East Brookfield library clerk will work 18 instead of 30 hours per week.

Committee members did not authorize cuts that would have eliminated the jobs of two deans of students, although Acting Superintendent Debora Zablocki said the number of students in the school system is not high enough to warrant so many administrators.

Committee members also voted to advertise for an interim superintendent who would begin work on July 1 and would have a one-year contract.

Contact Kim Ring at kring@telegram.com Follow her on Twitter @kimmring